Rift
by ViktorandHermioneLover
Summary: This story is a story of love and betrayal. Teddy Lupin, Victoire Weasley, and their new friend Ares King. Who will get the girl? Teddy her longtime friend who doesn't even realize he loves her or Ares? Follow them through their time at Hogwarts and find out whose heart she inevitably breaks.
1. Chapter 1

"Teddy?" Harry called out as he walked upstairs and toward the room he and Ginny had given his godson. Harry didn't receive a response and scratched his head, confused. He walked into Teddy's bedroom and saw him sitting on his bed and looking down at a picture of Remus and Tonks.

Harry walked over and sat down next to Teddy on his bed and waited for him to look up. "What's on your mind Ted?" Harry asked the boy.

"Were Mum and Dad both in Gryffindor?" Teddy asked as he looked up at Harry who smiled.

"No they weren't. Remus was in Gryffindor but Tonks was in Hufflepuff." Harry replied guessing where this conversation would soon be going.

"But Harry...what if I don't get into either one?" Teddy asked worriedly as his hair turned a dark shade of gray which reflected his anxiety.

Harry smiled at his godson and said "Tell me what's really on your mind Teddy. What House is it that you're so afraid of being Sorted into? Slytherin?" Teddy's silence proved to Harry that he had been right all along. "Do you love your grandmother Teddy?" Harry asked and smiled at the boy's confused expression.

"Of course I love Grandma but what does that have to do with anything?" Teddy asked as he scratched the top of his head, a habit he had picked up from Harry.

"Andromeda was Sorted into Slytherin House when she went to Hogwarts. There's no shame in being Sorted into Slytherin Ted. Your Grandmother was Sorted there and she was a lovely person. You being Sorted into Slytherin doesn't mean anything. It doesn't mean you're a bad person or that you're evil. Sure there were some bad seeds in Slytherin but that doesn't mean that we should stereotype against every single person that was in that house. Albus is named after Severus Snape who was one of the bravest men I have ever known, even though I didn't know it at the time, and Severus was in Slytherin. I've told you about Regulus Black and he was also in Slytherin." Harry said as he put his arm around Teddy's shoulders.

Teddy did feel a bit better after Harry pointed out the good that had come from Slytherin house but he still couldn't help the knot of worry he felt forming in his stomach. "Just know that Ginny and I will love you no matter what house you get Sorted into and so would Remus and Tonks."

Ginny took that moment to call up the stairs that dinner was ready. Harry gave Teddy a quick hug and then stood up. "Wash up and then come down for dinner. Try not to worry too much about it, ok?" He said. Teddy nodded and gave Harry a small smile before watching him leave the room.

A few minutes later Teddy walked downstairs to the smell of roast beef and he grinned. Roast beef was his favorite and Ginny knew it. He walked into the kitchen and sat down next to Lily. James and Albus ran into the kitchen and took the seats across from them as Ginny waved her wand and their plates zoomed down in front of them neatly.

"I can't wait until I start Hogwarts..." Lily declared sadly. James would be able to start Hogwarts in a year but she and Albus had to wait two years.

Ginny smiled at Lily and said "Don't worry love you'll be starting very soon. But you should be happy that you don't have to write essays or worry about end of the year exams!"

James scowled and said "Mum! Don't ruin Hogwarts for me before I even get there!" Ginny laughed and gave him an apologetic look.

Teddy remained silent throughout the meal. The discussion about the workload had given him a new thing to worry about. _What if I can't handle all of the work? What if I fail my exams? _As soon as Harry noticed the expression on his face he changed the subject to something different.

"So Teddy now that you've gone your list of school supplies we can go into Diagon Alley. I was thinking we could go tomorrow with Bill, Fleur, Ron, and Hermione?" Harry said hiding his smile behind his cup of tea. He knew the prospect of seeing Victoire would cheer Teddy up immediately and he was right.

Teddy smiled up at Harry and said "What time are we going to go?" He was excited to see Victoire because he hadn't seen his friend since the previous weekend.

"I was thinking sometime around 10:00? We could finish getting all of your supplies and then grab a quick lunch with everyone at the Leaky Cauldron." Harry replied as he took a bite of his roast beef.

"Daddy can I go too?" Lily asked Harry as she put on her sweetest smile.

"You just want to go so Dad will buy you ice cream!" James said indignantly. "I want to go because I actually want to experience this milestone in Teddy's life with him."

"Rubbish! You just want Dad to take you to Quality Quidditch Supplies so you can try and convince him to buy you those new dragon-hide gloves you saw in the catalog last week!" Albus said.

James turned a violent shade of red and opened his mouth to retort angrily but Ginny stopped him. "That's enough, both of you. We're all going to Diagon Alley together and no James you are _not _getting those gloves. You have a perfectly good pair already."

"But Mum I-" James began but Ginny gave him a look that immediately silenced him. Teddy chuckled and Harry brought out the Treacle Tart for dessert. They all dug in eagerly and Teddy had to admit he felt a lot better.

After dinner, Ginny sent all of them up to bed because she said she didn't want to have to wrestle them out of bed in the morning. She and Harry began to clean up the dishes as the kids all trooped upstairs.

As James was arguing with Albus over why he had told Ginny about the gloves, Teddy bid Lily a good night. He walked into his room and brushed his teeth before changing into his pajamas and getting into bed. He couldn't keep the smile off his face at the prospect of seeing Victoire. He fell asleep and didn't even notice the fact that his hair had turned a sunny shade of yellow.

The next morning Ginny and Harry walked into Teddy's room, then James' room, then Albus' room, and finally Lily's room to wake them all up. As Teddy got dressed he could hear Ginny yelling at James to get out of bed and laughed. It was a routine thing for Ginny to yell at James and finally douse him in water to wake him up.

Teddy and Albus were the first ones downstairs. "Good morning Dad!" Albus said as he sat down.

"Good morning Harry!" Teddy said as he smiled at his godfather and sat down as well.

"Good morning boys" Harry responded as he flipped the pancakes and checked on the bacon. A few minutes later Lily came down with Ginny and a grumpy looking James. Ginny crossed the kitchen and walked to the window to let in a brown owl, who was carrying that morning's addition of the Daily Prophet.

"Can I see it Mum?" Lily asked.

"Of course sweetheart" Ginny said as she dropped a Knut into the owl's pouch and took the Prophet from it. The owl flew away and Ginny handed the newspaper to Lily before helping Harry with breakfast.

"Anything interesting?" Harry asked as he wiped his hands on a dishtowel.

"It says here that last night they found a Death Eater named Yaxley hiding up north in a cave." Lily replied.

Harry nodded to himself and made a mental note to ask Kingsley about it. After breakfast the kids ran up to put on their coats. Teddy made sure to grab his supply list before hurrying back downstairs. Ginny and Harry were talking about Yaxley and waiting by the fireplace.

When James, Lily, and Albus joined them Harry took Lily's hand and a pinch of the Floo powder before disappearing in a whirl of green flames. Next went James and Albus, then Ginny and Teddy. They all appeared one by one in the Leaky Cauldron.

The new barman, Henry, called out to Harry "Can I pour you a glass of Firewhiskey, Harry?"

"Not at the moment Henry thank you. We'll be back around lunchtime though." Harry said as he led his family into the backroom of the pub. After a few minutes they were all walking through Diagon Alley, past Flourish and Blotts, Eeylops Owl Emporium, and Magical Menagerie.

"Where are we meeting everyone again?" Ginny asked Harry as she kept a firm hold on Lily's hand.

"By Ollivander's. We all thought it would be fitting for the kids to get their wands first." Harry explained as he led them toward the shop. Teddy immediately saw a shock of red hair which meant Ron and Hermione were there with their family, and then the silvery blond hair of Fleur, Louis, and Victoire. Bill and Dominique had red hair and were standing off to the side talking to Percy.

Ron, Hermione, Bill, and Fleur greeted and hugged all of the children before talking to Harry and Ginny. Teddy said a quick hello to everyone before rushing to Victoire. "Vic!" He said as he grinned.

Victoire laughed her tinkling laugh and said "Your hair is turning yellow again Ted!"

Teddy blushed and his hair went from yellow to purple with embarrassment. They hugged each other and immediately began talking about Hogwarts. "I can't wait to get there! It will be so much fun and the best part is we get to go together!" Victoire declared with a smile.

"It definitely helps to already have one friend before you even get there." Teddy agreed.

"_Best_friend" Victoire corrected Teddy who chuckled.

"Sorry, it definitely helps to already have a _best_friend before you even get there." Teddy said.

"Alright listen up. Vic, Ted, Lily, Albus you all come with me." Ginny said.

"James, Hugo, Louis, Rose you all come with me." Harry said.

"What about Dom?" Victoire asked Harry.

"She will be going with us sweetheart." Bill replied as Fleur nodded. Hermione decided to accompany Ginny to help her out and Ron went with Harry. After Teddy, Victoire, and Rose got their wands picked out they split up into their groups and everyone went in different directions.

Ginny and Hermione led them to Madam Malkin's to get them fitted for robes and Hermione slipped away to see how crowded Flourish and Blotts was. "Aunt Mione isn't really going to check out the crowd is she Mum?" Lily asked Ginny.

Ginny laughed and said "No she's probably looking at the new books that have arrived and putting some on hold." Teddy got fitted for his robes and left with two bags full of new robes, and a box that contained a pair of dress robes. Victoire had already gone robe shopping with Fleur so they went into Flourish and Blotts. Sure enough, Hermione was standing in the back of the bookstore immersed in one of the books that had just arrived.

Ginny rolled her eyes and smiled at her friend's typical behavior before helping Teddy and Victoire find their books. As they got in line, Hermione hobbled over with her arms full of books. "Checking out the crowd huh?" Ginny teased as Hermione blushed.

After finishing up the rest of their shopping everyone met back at the Leaky Cauldron for lunch. Teddy and Victoire sat together eating their sandwiches as they continued to talk about what they thought Hogwarts would be like. After lunch Lily announced that she wanted ice cream. Harry gave Teddy some money and he and Victoire took Lily to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.

James and Albus went to Quality Quidditch Supplies with Hugo, Louis, Bill, Ron, and Harry. Fleur, Hermione, and Ginny Apparated to the Burrow to visit with Mrs. Weasley.

Teddy bought Victoire a large strawberry ice cream cone, a choco-choco chip cone for himself, and a chocolate and raspberry ice cream cone for Lily. They wandered around licking their ice creams and talking. Teddy made sure to keep a firm hold on Lily's hand and kept glancing at his watch. Harry had told them to meet him at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes in 35 minutes.

15 minutes after they got their ice creams they bumped into a boy with light brown hair and brown eyes. "Watch where you're going wolf boy" the boy snapped angrily. He had just dropped his ice cream cone and looked angry.

"Why don't you watch where _you're _going?" Victoire snapped back at the boy. Teddy's cheeks turned pink with embarrassment and his hair mirrored it. He didn't want Victoire to fight his battles for him.

"A wolf boy and a freak" the boy taunted as he watched Teddy's hair go from blue to purple. Victoire looked like she was ready to burst and Teddy could see that her Veela temper was rising to the surface.

"Leave them alone Jack" a boy about their age said as he walked over to them. The boy had black hair that fell into his gray eyes and a straight, aristocratic nose.

"Stay out of it Ares" the boy, Jack huffed in irritation.

"No how about you stop being the world's biggest prat and leave them alone before I tell Mum." Ares threatened. Just at that moment a beautiful brunette woman exited the upmarket shop, Twilfitt and Tatting's. She made her way toward the two boys and said "What's going on here Ares?"

Ares glared at Jack threateningly until he turned and walked toward a tall, handsome man standing a few feet away. As soon as Jack walked away Ares replied "Nothing's wrong Mum we were all just talking that's all." His mother nodded and smiled at Teddy, Lily, and Victoire before walking over to her husband and Jack.

"Sorry about my brother he's a real git sometimes. I'm Ares by the way, Ares King." Ares introduced himself and stuck out his hand for Teddy to shake.

Teddy smiled back and shook his hand "Teddy Lupin. Nice to meet you."

Ares' father who would undoubtedly be Mr. King, glanced at his watch and called his son over. "Nice meeting you all and sorry again for Jack." Ares said before running off to catch up with his brother and parents.

"He was nice..." Lily said as she smiled.

"He is too old for you Lily" Teddy said suddenly feeling protective of her.

"Calm down Ted all she said was that he was nice" Victoire said as she rolled her eyes. "He was a Hell of a lot nicer than that arse Jack." She declared.

"That's true, I wonder if he'll be going to Hogwarts this year too. He looked to be about our age." Teddy said.

"What time is it Teddy?" Lily asked.

Teddy glanced at his watch and yelped out in shock. They were already fifteen minutes late! They all ran toward George's shop and ran right into Harry and Ron who looked worried and had been looking for them.

"Where were you three?" Harry exclaimed looking relieved to see them.

"Sorry Harry we lost track of time!" Teddy said nervously.

"It's alright but we have to go now. Good thing the girl's already took all your things home." Harry said.

They trooped back into the Leaky Cauldron and Flooed back to the Burrow for dinner before they all went back to their respective homes.


	2. Chapter 2

The week passed by very quickly and soon it was August 31st. Ginny was running from the kitchen to Teddy's bedroom, trying to make dinner and supervise his packing at the same time. "Merlin, where's Harry!" She cried in an exasperated voice as she ran back up to Teddy's room holding a tomato in her hand.

"Ginny I'm fine I promise! I can pack my clothes by myself. Don't worry about me!" Teddy said in vain as he tried to reassure her. Ginny wasn't listening to him and instead abandoned the tomato on his desk and began refolding the clothes he had messily thrown into his trunk.

"Teddy! How do you expect to fit everything you need in here if you just throw everything in like this?" She asked as she sighed.

"Gin I'm home!" Harry called from downstairs in the living room.

"I'm upstairs in Teddy's room! Can you come up here please?" Ginny asked and a few seconds later Harry appeared in the doorway.

"Can you help Teddy pack while I go and finish dinner? Ron and Hermione are coming over with the kids. They're just going to spend the night so we can all go to King's Cross together." Ginny told Harry.

Harry agreed to take over packing duty and helped Teddy fold his robes and Muggle clothing before packing them along with his textbooks and other school supplies. "Make sure you don't crush your quills or break your pot of ink alright? I've been there and done that. It wasn't pretty, Hermione had to help me clean it up." Harry warned.

Teddy grinned and said "Don't worry I'll be careful!" When they finished packing everything and double checked to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything, Teddy closed his trunk and locked it. Harry then levitated the trunk down the stairs and into a corner of the living room.

During dinner, Teddy and Rose were talking to each other about Hogwarts. "Mum told me that the Hogwarts library is huge! I can't wait to take a look around." Rose beamed and Teddy chuckled.

"I'm guessing you'll be living at the library like your Mum did when she went to Hogwarts?" Ron asked teasingly.

Harry laughed and mimicked the school girl Hermione's voice "I'm off to the library!" He and Ron both grinned as Hermione blushed and smacked Harry's arm.

"On a more serious note Rosie, yes the library is quite large. There are a wide range of books on everything you could ever think of! Just make sure not to upset Madam Pince..." Hermione warned.

"She's still working there?" Ron grinned and said "I would've thought she hobbled off into the sunset with old Filchy and Mrs. Norris." Harry burst out laughing as Hermione gave them both a reproachful look.

"Stop it you two! Ron you should be teaching Rose how to respect Hogwarts disciplinarians not make fun of them." Hermione scolded as she helped Ginny clean up.

Ron snorted and said "Disciplinarians? Filch and Pince? Yeah right!"

"They technically are mate...even though no one really pays them any mind." Harry said.

"Still what a joke!" Ron said as he set up a game of Wizard's Chess in the living room. Harry joined him by the fire, in one of the armchairs.

Teddy walked up to his bedroom which he would be sharing with Hugo. Rose would be rooming with Lily. He changed his clothes and laid down in his bed as Hugo settled into the cot that Ginny had set up for him. He stared out of his window at the stars and thought to himself _This time tomorrow I'll be at_ Hogwarts.

The next morning everyone had gotten a late start. Ginny and Hermione had just finished making breakfast and were trying to shove food into Teddy and Rose's mouths the second they saw them. Harry and Ron were taking their trunks out to the two Ministry cars that were waiting for them outside.

About fifteen minutes later everyone piled into the cars holding toast and sausages as the Ministry cars drove down the path to the gate of the house and took off into the air.

Teddy was scarfing down his toast as he listened to Harry and Ginny talk about Headmistress McGonagall and Hagrid. Teddy had met Hagrid a handful of times and liked the giant a lot. Teddy had nothing against Hagrid except for the time Hagrid had brought him a batch of his rock cakes, causing him to break four of his teeth. Harry had later pulled him aside apologizing for forgetting to warn Teddy of Hagrid's cooking and fixed his teeth for him.

The Ministry drivers soon landed in a back alley of a restaurant near King's Cross and drove the rest of the way to the station. The cars were parked and Harry and Ron hopped out to go and get two trolleys for Teddy and Rose's luggage. As soon as Ron and Harry loaded the trunks onto the trolley, they entered the station.

"You'll be absolutely brilliant." Harry tried to assure Teddy as he pushed his trolley through the crowds of people. "I know you will have a lot of fun and work hard at your studies."

Teddy nodded and tried to convince himself as well. Before they knew it they had reached the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10. Teddy swallowed and ran through the barrier with Harry right on his heels. After a few minutes of searching, they found the rest of the Weasleys. Teddy was acutely aware of all the staring and whispering when he entered Platform 9¾ with Harry. Harry ignored it all and didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable with it. He had gotten used to the stares in his Hogwarts' days.

Teddy met up with Victoire and Rose and they got onto the train to find an empty compartment before saying goodbye to their families. "Will you be sitting with us Rose?" Asked Teddy.

"No my friend Cassandra is saving us a compartment. Sorry Ted, Vic." Rose apologized. With a smile she was off toward a compartment at the front of the train.

"Just you and me Vic" Teddy said with a smile. They made their way all the way down the train and it seemed like every compartment was taken, until they saw Ares coming out of one. "Should we ask him if we can sit with him?" Teddy asked Victoire.

Victoire scrunched her nose distastefully and said "Not if that git brother of his will be sitting with us too."

Before Teddy could reply, Ares waved them over. "Looking for a compartment huh? Seems like I nicked the last one. Care to join me?" At Victoire and Teddy's hesitant looks Ares looked confused and then he realized they were wary of sitting with Jack. "Don't worry Jack is sitting about four compartments down with Scorpius Malfoy."

After that statement Victoire seemed a lot more open to sitting with Ares. "Great then we'd love to sit with you!" She gave him a smile and he grinned back. Teddy followed Victoire into the compartment too.

"We never really got fully acquainted" Ares said to Victoire as he helped her put her trunk up in the overhead compartment. "I'm Ares King, and you are?" He asked as he held his hand out for her to shake.

"Victoire Weasley" Victoire replied with a smile as she shook his hand. Ares then helped Teddy with his trunk and they all sat down comfortably. Teddy next to Victoire and Ares across from them.

"So Ares what House are you hoping to get Sorted into?" Teddy asked.

"Definitely Gryffindor just like my Mum. Dad got sorted into Ravenclaw, he's a bit of a genius." Ares responded. "What about you two? What House do you want to be Sorted into?"

Both Teddy and Victoire said in unison "Gryffindor!"

In response to Ares' surprised look, Victoire said "It's a sort of tradition in our family to be Sorted into Gryffindor."

"You two are related?" Ares asked with surprise.

Teddy turned slightly red and mumbled "Well...not by blood..."

Victoire looked at Teddy and said "You're as good as Ted Lupin."

"What do you mean?" Ares asked confused.

"Harry's my godfather...I'm an orphan." Teddy responded.

"Oh...look mate I'm sorry I didn't know. I wasn't trying to be a prat." Ares said suddenly feeling guilty and a bit uncomfortable. He would've never questioned their relation if he had known.

"Don't worry about it" Teddy said offering Ares a small smile. "It's not like you knew or anything. Plus I do think of Harry as my Dad. He's raised me since I was a year old."

Ares nodded and Victoire thankfully changed the subject. "I haven't heard of the King family before Ares. Have you lived here all your life?"

Ares shook his head and said "Mum is originally from Spain so we've lived there for most of my life. We just moved to England a few years ago because Dad wanted me to go to Hogwarts just like they did."

"Is your Dad from Spain as well?" Asked Teddy curiously.

"No Dad is English" Ares chuckled. "He just moved to Spain to make my Mum happy."

For the next hour and a half the three got to know each other better. They learned that Ares only had one sibling, he loved to play Quidditch because his Father was a retired Quidditch player, and he was from a wealthy Pureblood family. Teddy felt a little embarrassed when Ares asked him if he liked to play Quidditch because he didn't know how to play. Harry and Ginny had tried to introduce him to the sport but he just never found it interesting. Teddy preferred reading and writing to Quidditch.

Soon they heard the trolley rattling along the train and the witch poked her head into their compartment and asked "Anything from the trolley dears?"

"Three cauldron cakes and a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans for me please" Ares said as he pulled out the proper amount of coins.

"Four Chocolate Frogs for me!" Teddy said as he handed the witch a few Sickles.

When Ares and Teddy got their sweets and Victoire purchased a few Jelly Slugs they all settled back down in their seats. "So your brother Jack is friends with Scorpius Malfoy?" Victoire asked distastefully. Teddy nudged Victoire slightly. He was used to Victoire's blunt nature but it sometimes came off as rude to other people.

Ares took it all in stride and smiled at the comment. "Yes but it's pretty obvious isn't it? They're both prats."

Victoire agreed with a smile and soon they decided that they'd better change into their Hogwarts' robes. The train reached Hogsmeade station twenty minutes later. They all trooped out onto the platform and searched for Hagrid.

"Teddy! Victoire! There ya are!" Hagrid said in his booming voice as he beamed at the two children. Victoire and Teddy waved and grinned at Hagrid as they led Ares to him.

"Hagrid, this is our friend Ares! Ares this is Hagrid!" Teddy introduced.

"Well it's nice ter meet any friend of Teddy and Victoire's!" Hagrid said as he offered his finger to Ares which he shook. "Well you three let's get going ter the boats." Hagrid said as he walked off leading the first years to the lake.

Hagrid called to them "Three to a boat!" Victoire, Teddy, and Ares all got into one of the boats closest to Hagrid. Soon they were off as the boats sailed toward the castle. Light shone out of every window and the closer they got the more detail they noticed.

They entered the Entrance Hall and met Professor Flitwick. He began speaking "Welcome first years. In a few moments you'll all get Sorted into your houses. There are four houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. While here, these Houses will be like your family. You will eat with them, sleep with them, and study with them. Now I wish you all good luck!" He said before leading the way into the Great Hall.

Ares could feel his heart pounding as his stomach did nervous backflips. Teddy looked pale as he played with his fingers. Victoire however looked perfectly composed. If she was nervous it didn't show. She held her head up high.

Finally Ares' turn to be Sorted arrived. "King, Ares" Professor Flitwick called out. Ares swallowed and walked up onto the stage and sat down on the stool as Professor Flitwick put the Sorting Hat on his head. _Hmm a King eh? Your Mother was a true Gryffindor but your Dad had the brains of a Ravenclaw...Where to put you? You've got courage no doubt but you've got brains too. You're cunning like a Slytherin no doubt about that. I guess I'd better put you in..._"GRYFFINDOR!" The Hat called out.

The look of relief on Ares' face was evident as he got off the stool and grinned at Teddy. Teddy smiled back still feeling a bit queasy. After a few more names were called Teddy's turn came. "Lupin, Teddy!"

Victoire smiled encouragingly at Teddy and nodded as he sat down on the stool. Teddy was a bit startled when the Hat began talking to him. _Ah...Lupin huh? You're definitely not a Hufflepuff. You've got the traits of a..._"GRYFFINDOR!" Teddy looked like he would faint with relief as he hurried off to the Gryffindor table and took the spot that Ares had saved, next to him.

Both Ares and Teddy were ecstatic when Victoire got Sorted into Gryffindor as well. Everything seemed to be working out perfectly for them. "I could've sworn that Hat was going to put me in Ravenclaw!" Victoire declared as food began appearing on every table. "What about you two?" She asked.

"It didn't say much other than I didn't belong in Hufflepuff. It was pretty immediate when it placed me in Gryffindor." Teddy said.

"It was a tie between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor for me" Ares said leaving the part about Slytherin out completely. Jack was Sorted into Slytherin with Scorpius Malfoy.

During dinner, Victoire and Rose talked and Teddy and Ares talked to Alex Longbottom, Neville and Luna's son. Teddy felt a bit left out when the conversation turned, once again, to Quidditch so he joined Rose and Victoire's conversation. When they had all stuffed themselves with as much food as they could handle, they all went up to the Gryffindor common room to head to bed.

"Goodnight Rose, Victoire" Ares said as he went up to the boys' dormitories. "Night Vic..Rose" Teddy said as he smiled at Victoire and headed upstairs after Ares and Alex.

Victoire sighed and said to Rose "Teddy's so cute...don't you think?"

Rose shrugged and said "Personally I think that Ravenclaw second year Leo is better looking!" The two of them then headed up to their dormitory and changed before going to bed.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Teddy was the first to wake up in the boys' dormitory. He showered and got dressed before heading down to the common room. As expected, nobody else was yet awake. Teddy settled into one of the sofas and opened up a book that Hermione had loaned him. It was her favorite copy of Hogwarts, A History. Teddy had asked her if he could borrow it because he wanted to learn as much about the school as he could. Teddy only had about thirty minutes of solitude before the other students began coming down. He closed the book and looked up as Alex and Ares came downstairs.

"Already up Teddy?" Ares asked as he fixed his tie.

"Yeah I woke up about an hour ago. You two took your time." Teddy said as he smiled.

"I was up but Fredrick was taking forever in the bathroom!" Alex said indignantly as he glared at Fredrick.

Victoire and Rose came downstairs together as they talked to a petite, Japanese girl. "Who's that?" Alex asked as he grinned at Ares.

Ares shrugged and replied "No clue. Maybe you should go find out" and grinned. Alex grinned back as the girls walked over. Rose introduced Jade to the boys before they all filed out of the common room and headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

They all sat down and began serving themselves as Professor McGonagall handed them their class schedules. "We have Potions first. That should be fun..." Ares said a bit disappointed.

"Who's the teacher?" Alex asked as he leaned over to glance at Ares' schedule. "Griselda Cuthbert. Now that's what I call a name!" Alex laughed until Ares jabbed him hard in the ribs.

"What was that fo-" Alex began but stopped when he saw Professor Cuthbert looking down at him. His eyes widened as Ares tried not to laugh.

"Do you think my name is funny Mr. Longbottom?" Professor Cuthbert said as she stared down at him sharply.

Alex swallowed and said meekly "No Professor." Just then Professor Longbottom walked over.

"Is there something wrong Griselda?" Professor Longbottom asked as he looked down at Alex.

"No not at all Neville. I was just passing by when Alex offered to stay after class and help me set up for Wednesday's class." Professor Cuthbert said as she looked at Alex then up at Neville.

Neville gave Alex a stern look before looking at Professor Cuthbert and saying "I'm sure he'll do a great job Griselda." The two Professors then walked away to finish their breakfast.

"Oh bloody hell! One joke and I'm already in trouble. Dad's going to bite my head off when we get to his class!" Alex said as he stabbed at his eggs moodily.

"What does your Dad teach?" Ares asked as he took a bite of his sausage and skimmed the class schedule for Neville's name.

"Herbology" Alex replied.

"No worries that's the last class of the day mate!" Ares said.

"You know you deserved it Alex! You shouldn't have made fun of Professor Cuthbert." Rose said as she rolled her eyes. Alex only glared at her as he ate his eggs.

As Jade and Victoire talked, Ares took the chance to appreciate how beautiful she really was. Her silvery blond hair was tied up in a ponytail and her beautiful blue eyes shimmered animatedly as she spoke. She was fair skinned and her lips were a perfect pink color. Both her skin and lips looked unbelievably soft.

Unbeknownst to Ares, Teddy was also appreciating Victoire's beauty. He smiled at the way the corners of her eyes crinkled slightly when she laughed and the dimple that appeared on her right cheek when she smiled. Her laugh was the most beautiful sound in the world to him.

Alex looked over at Ares and Teddy because they had suddenly become a little too quiet. He quickly noticed that they were both looking at Victoire with a far-away look in their eyes. _Uh oh...this definitely can't be good_ he thought.

Soon the bell rang and students began filing out of the Great Hall to head to their classes. Ares and Teddy walked on either side of Victoire as Alex kept Jade company. Rose had disappeared long ago to meet up with Cassandra.

They walked up to the third floor and waited around outside of Professor Cuthbert's classroom. Howard, a friend of Teddy's, waved him over as soon as they entered the classroom. Teddy walked over to Howard, hiding his disappointment. He had wanted to sit with Victoire but he didn't want to be rude. When Teddy got situated he looked over to see who Vic ended up sitting with. He looked relieved to see that she was sitting with Ares. Teddy didn't care who Victoire sat with as long as it wasn't Conrad Goodwin because rumor had it that he fancied her. Teddy wasn't quite sure _why_ he was so averse to the idea of Conrad fancying Victoire but he was.

Ares glanced over to see where Teddy had gone and saw him sitting with Howard. Ares was relieved that Teddy hadn't sat with Victoire because he had the strange feeling that Victoire fancied him. Ares didn't want to have to compete with Teddy for Victoire's affection.

"Good morning class" Professor Cuthbert said as she walked into the classroom. "You may put your books away. We won't be brewing anything until the next time we meet. Today will be a crash course on Potion making. We'll learn a bit of the history behind Potion making, the rules of this classroom, and a few safety precautions. At the end of this class period you will be tested on what you have learned and then you are free to go. Does everyone understand?" She asked as she looked around the room. When everyone nodded she turned and began writing on the chalkboard.

"Are you excited for our first Hogsmeade weekend?" Ares asked Victoire as he jotted down notes while Professor Cuthbert talked.

"Yes, I can't wait to see what Honeydukes is like!" Victoire said happily. "I'm guessing you're most excited to see either Zonko's or Spintwitches."

"Spintwitches is right!" Ares said as he grinned. "I don't need to visit Zonko's because I stopped by Weasley's Wizard Wheezes that day we ran into each other in Diagon Alley. Let's just say I stocked up on enough Skiving Snackboxes to last me the entire year."

Victoire shook her head but smiled. "Don't let Rose hear you say that! She might just turn you in."

Miraculously, at the end of class, both Victoire and Ares got passing grades on their quizzes even though they had been talking throughout the class period. Teddy, as expected, got a perfect score and stayed behind to help Alex correct his answers. Professor Cuthbert wouldn't let anyone leave until they corrected their mistakes.

"Teddy really is a saint" Ares said to Victoire as he chuckled.

Victoire smiled and said "He is one of the nicest people I know. He isn't like most boys his age. He's mature and I like that about him."

As Ares headed out onto the grounds for Care of Magical Creatures, Victoire took a detour to use the loo. Teddy met Ares by Hagrid's hut. Alex had to hang back and help Professor Cuthbert prep for their class on Wednesday. "Wonder what we'll be learning about" Ares said to Teddy as he watched Hagrid bring out three large crates and set them on the ground.

"I think today's lesson has something to do with fire crabs" Victoire said as she came up behind them.

Ares glanced back at her and smiled as Teddy scooted over on the grass to make room for her. She sat down in between the two boys as they watched Hagrid set up.

"I can't wait till Saturday!" Ares said as he sighed happily and tapped his quill against his leg.

"Why?" Teddy asked as he chuckled. "Besides the fact that it's a Hogsmeade weekend!"

"Dad said he has something waiting for me at Spintwitches and I really hope it's the Quicksilver 3000 that I've been asking him for all summer." Ares said as he grinned.

"A Quicksilver 3000? That's faster than the Firebolt! It goes from zero to two-hundred miles per hour in ten seconds!" Victoire said as her jaw dropped. Teddy smiled in amusement. He had heard James begging Harry for the broom about a thousand times.

After class, the students all trooped back up to the castle to wash up before lunch. Most of them had burns on their hands and faces from the fire crabs. Ares left Teddy and Victoire to go wash up with Alex and they came back down and found them sitting halfway along at the Gryffindor table. Alex sat down and immediately began scarfing down turkey sandwiches.

"We have Defense Against the Dark Arts next" Ares said as he grinned excitedly.

"I'm guessing that's your favorite subject?" Teddy said as he smiled at his friend.

Ares nodded and said "Dad teaches me Defense at home. After he retired from Puddlemere United, he became an Auror." He helped himself to a ham and cheese sandwich.

"Defense is fine but we have Herbology as our last class and I really don't want to run into Dad!" Alex said in between bites of his sandwich.

"Why don't you just bunk?" Ares asked in confusion.

"Dad will know that's why!" Alex said as he glanced up at Neville who was sitting at the Head Table.

"Not if you take one of these" Ares said as he tossed Alex a Puking Pastille.

"Neville knows Fred and George though! Don't you think he'll know that you've taken a Puking Pastille?" Teddy asked as he laughed.

"How could he possibly know? It could just be a coincidence if Alex puts on a proper show." Ares said as he grinned at Alex.

Alex grinned back and pocketed the sweet. "You're brilliant Ares! I'll act sick during Defense because then Professor Meadows can back me up when I tell Dad that I feel sick!"

"Problem solved!" Ares said but they quieted down quickly when Rose came over. Alex couldn't risk Rose blowing his cover.

"Do you think this is a good idea?" Teddy asked Victoire as he smiled amused at his friends' antics.

Victoire laughed and said "Only if he gets away with it."

During Defense, Professor Meadows put Victoire, Teddy, Ares, and Conrad in a group. Alex was given permission to sit out of the exercises since he was feeling "sick."

_Out of all the other students he could have grouped us with it had to be Conrad! _Teddy thought, looking a bit put off.

"You alright Ted?" Ares asked.

"Yeah, yeah I just don't get on well with Conrad that's all." Teddy said as he frowned at the way Conrad was looking at Victoire. He looked at her like a delicious piece of meat. Teddy was very protective of Victoire, she was his best friend after all.

"Don't worry mate, I'll knock him on his arse for you" Ares said as he grinned at Teddy, drawing his wand at the Professor's request.

"Today we will be learning how to block unfriendly spells with a shield charm." Professor Meadows said as he paced around the classroom. "Does anyone want to give it a go?" He said as he looked around at the students.

"How about you King? And you Goodwin!" Professor Meadows said.

Ares grinned at Teddy and thought _This is almost too good to be true! _The looks Conrad had been giving Victoire didn't go unnoticed by Ares. He didn't like them one bit. Conrad and Ares met in the center of the room as the rest of the class gathered around them to watch.

"Alright, now flick your wrists just like I showed you at the beginning of the class and be fast. If you're not fast enough, you will pay the price for it. You never know what kind of curses, jinxes, or spells will be thrown at you in battle." Professor Meadows said.

Ares gripped his wand as he locked eyes with Conrad. "At the count of three" Professor Meadows said as he counted "One...two...THREE!"

As Conrad opened his mouth Ares yelled "Protego!" and Conrad was slammed backward by the force of the spell and crashed into the bookshelf behind him. Ares hid his smirk, his father had covered shield charms with him over the summer.

Professor Meadows said "Great job Ares! 5 points to Gryffindor!" Then he went to go see if Conrad was alright. The Gryffindors all cheered and Teddy grinned at Ares.

"Good enough for you Ted?" Ares said as he walked over to his friend.

"That was amazing Ares! How'd you learn to do that?" Teddy responded in awe.

"Don't be fooled, I'm no Merlin, I just got lucky! My Dad taught me about shield charms and practiced them with me over the summer." Ares said as the rest of the classroom began practicing.

"How long did it take you to get the hang of it?" Teddy asked as he began practicing with Victoire.

"About a week or two. It wasn't easy by any means but Dad is persistent. He'd actually throw surprise jinxes at me when I'd get up to go to the bathroom, in the middle of the night, so I had to be alert at all times." Ares said as he shook his head.

Teddy laughed and said "Your Dad seems like quite a guy."

"He is!" Ares said as he grinned. "He's my best friend though. I know I can always turn to him when I need him. He teaches me new things, plays Quidditch with me, and is always there to listen if I'm having a problem."

Teddy thought about what it would have been like to have his Dad around. He often wondered what Remus would have been like as a father. Harry tried to fill the void in Teddy's life as best as he could but it wasn't the same as having his real Dad with him.

Victoire looked at Teddy and almost immediately could tell what he was thinking about. As Ares went to talk to Alex, she turned to Teddy. "Are you alright, Ted?" She said as she put her hand on his shoulder and looked at him anxiously.

"I'm okay Vic...don't worry about it." Teddy said as he mustered up a smile for her sake.

"Teddy, we're best friends. I know when you're lying to me." Victoire said looking at him worriedly. "I know what Ares said must have been hard for you. It's okay for you to admit that."

Teddy sighed and said "I just thought about what it would have been like if my Dad was still alive." He smiled and continued "I wondered if maybe he and I would've played Quidditch together like Ares and his Dad do."

Victoire smiled and said "Uncle Harry says that Remus never played Quidditch. Sirius and James were the Quidditch fanatics, Remus just watched them...or read in a corner. He sounded a lot like you Teddy."

Teddy smiled at her and said "You always know just what to say, don't you?"

"It's my responsibility as your best friend" Victoire said as she giggled and they went back to practicing the shield charm.

_What would I do without you Vic? _Teddy thought as he shook his head and smiled to himself.


End file.
